HBO’s House of the Dragon confirms A Song of Ice and Fire fan theory

House of the Dragon, HBO’s new successor show to Game of Thrones, is all about the Targaryen family, so it’s no surprise that it digs into their past. The series jumps over its source material in the first episode. Fire & Blood, to reveal previously unknown details about one of A Song of Ice and Fire’s most important characters. According to showrunners the revelation comes directly from George R.R. Martin.

[Ed. note: This story contains spoilers for all eight seasons of Game of Thrones and the first episode of House of the Dragon.]

House of the Dragon’s first episode revolves around King Viserys’ eventual choice to name his daughter Rhaenyra as his successor for the Iron Throne of Westeros. This goes against the precedents of the realm, specifically the Great Council of 101 AC’s decision that solidified in the minds of most that male heirs took priority for the crown above female heirs. None of this is news to viewers familiar with the prequel series’ story, but what King Viserys tells his teenage daughter should be a welcome surprise to hardcore A Song of Ice and Fire fans.

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Viserys tells Rhaenyra inside the Red Keep a bit about Aegon the Conqueror. This was the Targaryen king who first conquered Westeros. The man who turned seven feuding kingdoms of the continent in one that he could control. Viserys also reveals the most important fact: Aegon sought out Westeros first because he saw the end of all things.

Aegon saw the end for the men’s world, just like Daenys did. It will begin with a horrible winter blowing from the north. Aegon saw the absolute darkness that was riding on these winds. Anything within the realm of the living will cause it to endanger the entire world. Rhaenyra must oppose the great winter. If the world is to survive, then a Targaryen needs to be seated at the Iron Throne. Strong enough to unify the kingdom against the darkness and cold, a king or queen. Aegon called his dream ‘A Song of Ice and Fire.’ This secret, it’s been passed from king to heir since Aegon’s time. Now you have to promise that it will be kept. It must be carried.

This prophecy has a unique meaning and is crucial to the story. Modern fantasy stories like A Song of Ice and Fire often use prophecies to misdirect or ironize, but this one seems almost unambiguously accurate.

By being positioned next to Daenys’ correct prophecy of the end of Valyria, which saved the Targaryen dynasty from the Doom that destroyed Valyria and first sent them to Dragonstone and Westeros, Aegon’s dream is given a bit of extra credibility. We also know that it’s (mostly) true because… we’ve already seen the ending. We know that a Targaryen’s return to Westeros, and her dragons, are critical in the fight against the White Walkers and saving men from the Long Night. We even know that it’s a Targaryen named Aegon that does the saving — since that’s Jon Snow’s real name. (As a fun tidbit, this also gives us our second explanation of the A Song of Ice and Fire series name, which most fans normally assume refers to Jon as the child of a Stark and Targaryen — representing ice and fire.)

While all of this sounds like it could be convenient backfilling from showrunners Ryan J. Condal and Miguel Sapochnik, that isn’t the case. Interview with Polygon before the show House of the Dragon’s premiere, Condal confirmed that this specific dream came straight from Martin.

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“That actually came from [Martin], at least the origin of that point,” said Condal. “He told us very early on in the room — just as he does, just casually mentioned the fact that Aegon the Conqueror was a dreamer who saw a vision of the White Walkers coming across the wall and sweeping over the land with cold and darkness. […] So with his permission, of course, we infused that into the story because it was such a great way to create resonance with the original show.”

This is already a huge reveal about one of the most important characters in the A Song of Ice and Fire universe, but with a little speculation, it’s also easy to see how this could give us a clue about ways that Martin’s book ending for the series could deviate from the one we saw in HBO’s Game of Thrones.

Viserys states that all Westeros must unite to defeat the threats of the north. Also, a Targaryen needs to be seated at the Iron Throne in order for the world to be saved. Both of those are sort of vaguely gestured at by the HBO series, but aren’t really true. Jon and Dany are not on the throne at the Long Night, so the battle for Winterfell is really limited to a few people.

Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

If Aegon’s prophecy is cOderrect — and proves to be in the books — then it’s possible that we could see Jon or Dany (notice Viserys says king or queen) take King’s Landing and the Iron Throne long before the Long Night arrives. This means we may see Westeros be threatened by the army of dead moving further south than in the series.

For now, though, like most A Song of Ice and Fire questions, we’ll just have to wait for the books to find out if any of this pans out. This dialogue at best proves that. House of the DragonMore information is available to viewers and fans of hardcore music than the prequel status. Fire & BloodIt might be possible to adapt.